Pet Fit Club - Novel New Way to Promote Pet Health

According to recent studies done by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, 35.7 percent of adults in the United States are considered obese. But the trend for being overweight didn't stop with just adults. According to this same report, adolescents were quickly following suit and wrangled a nearly 17 percent share in their own obesity rates.

Considering these statistics it’s only feasible that the family pet would be lagging behind in their own weight management routines. Recent studies show that nearly half of America’s family pets are fat. With today’s busy lifestyles filled with work schedules and family responsibilities, the family pet may also suffer from too much food and not enough exercise to work it off. We often opt for a quick grab at a local eatery or a packaged convenience food that, while fast and easy, can be loaded with fat and calories. All the while we exchange rushed darts through traffic for a leisurely walk with our pets which would serve to work off some of those calories and gathered fat. While this rushed routine may be the norm for many families today, the family pet is also suffering through rushed convenience meals, a lack of healthy pet products and not enough attention to exercise. Because of this we end up with tired owners and lethargic pets, both competing for space on an ever-shrinking sofa.

Carrying the same health risks including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and joint pain, as their human counterparts, pet obesity is a growing issue with a burgeoning world-wide awareness. But with the introduction of The Pet Fit Club, a slimmer pet may only be a competition away. Started in the UK by The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, a charitable organization, and taken from popular TV shows where overweight contestants vie for prizes in a weight loss competition, The Pet Fit Club does the same for the family pet as they could do for their adoring owners. Introducing owners to better nutritional options and healthier exercise routines for their furry companions, The Pet Fit Club urges owners to exercise their pets and offer healthier food and activities than the standard kibble and owner-induced treats they had overindulged before.

With a grand prize that includes a year’s worth of pet food and a two-night stay at a Four Seasons Hotel for the winning pet and its owners, the competition is stiff but getting slimmer. With names like “Maverick”, a male feline who’s 85 percent over his standard weight and tips the scale at 22-pounds, and “Jumbo Jack” the Spaniel, whose name alone can give obvious pause for reason, these pets prove that not only can they exercise their way to a champion’s waist line, they can enjoy healthy exercising and pet products while doing so. They begin the trend in what many hope will bring a sustained light to the (pun intended) growing problem of pet obesity. What do you think? Should we have Pet Fit Club in the U.S? What are you doing to keep your pet fit?

Image: Gidion Lubbe / FreeDigitalPhotos.net